Nutcracker



A. WOLDERT NUTCRACKER Filed Nov. 20, 1924 Dec. 29, 1925- ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

rUNITED STATES PATENTr OFFICE.

ALEX WOLDERT, 0F TYLER, TEXASj ASSIGNOR TOy ALEX WOLDERT COMPANY, 0F

Y TYLER, TEXAS, A CORPORATON OF TEXAS.

NUTCRACKER.

' Application lcd November 20, 1924. Serial No. 750,964.

10 all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALEX VoLDnRT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tyler, in the county of Smith, State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Nutcracker, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful construction in nut crackers, particularly of the type which are adjustable to any size nut. My invention further relates to a novel construction of nut crackers of the type employing a cam action in order to obtain the necessary pressure and force to crack the nut.

With the above ends in view my invention consists of a novel construction in such nut crackers comprising a slide or guideway, a rack integral therewith extending along the length thereof, a stationary jaw at one end of said guideway and rack, integral therewith; a clamp integral with said guideway and rack, adapted to secure said nut cracker to a table or the like, a movable jaw slidably mounted on said slide or guideway and a crank pin rotatably mounted within said movable jaw on an eccentric, a handle adapted to actuate said crank pin, and a pawl carried by said pin and in alignment with said rack adapted to force said movable jaw in the direction of the stationary jaw when said handle is actuated in the forward direction.

My invention further consists'of certain novel constructions in said movable jaw,

whereby the pawl is lifted out of engagement with said rack when the handle is moved back, and whereby moreover, said pawl is brought into engagement again with said rack when said handle is moved forward.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred by me, since the ysame have been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as hereinshown and described.

Fig. 1, represents the perspective view of a nut cracker embodying my invention, mounted on a, table ready for use.

Fig. 2, represents a section on line 22, of Fig. 3.

Fig'. 8, of Fig. 2.y p

Fig. 4, represents a section of the movable jaw, similar to that shown in Fig. 2 with the handle in the'backward position.

Fig. 5, represents a perspective view of the handle, the cam shaft, cam disk, and the eccentric pin.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

1 designates the frame structure of my novel nut cracker, composed of the hori- Zontally disposed guideway 2, the vertical stationary jaw 3 and the'lower clamp members 4f and 5, all integral with one another, and preferably formed of a single casting of a suitable means. By means of the clamp represents a section on line 3-3 members 4 and 5, and the clamp screw 6 passing through the end 7 of said clamp member 5, the nut cracker may be lsecured to any table or board or the like, in a convenient manner as shown particularly in Figs. l, 2 and A rack 8, having rearwardly inclined teeth 9, is formed integral with said guideway 2, along a portion oil the length thereof, the front faces of said teeth being` substantially vertical so as to permit a positive engagement with said teeth, of an actuating pawl 10 as shown in Fig. 2. A movable jaw 11, formed integral with the'movable jaw housing 12, is provided with guides 13 and 14 corresponding to the contour of the guideway 2 as shown in F ig. B, so as to permit said housing 12 and movable jaw 11 to be mounted slidably on said guideway. Both the stationary jaw and the movable jaw 11 are provided with slightly concaved opposed faces 15 and 16,

so as to more readily engage and hold nut inserted between said two jaws, in the operation of the nutcracker. The housing 12, as will be seen from Fig. 3, is provided with a circular or round bearing opening` 17 in one side thereof, for the purpose of receiving the cam shaft 18, rotatably within said bearing opening 17; while the other side of said housing 12 is provided with a corresponding circular bearing recess 19 of like diameter, but not extending through the wall of the housing. The cam shaft 18 is provided with an eccentric pin 20, rigidly lixed thereto or formed integral therewith.

the

Thus as the shaft 18 is revolved the cam pin or eccentric pin 20 will be given an eccentric motion. In order to support the free end of said eccentric pin 20, so as to take up the thrust upon it when in operation, a cam plate or disk 21 of the same diameter as the cam shaft 1S, is inserted into the bearing recess 19, said cam disk being provided with a bearing opening 22 adapted to receive the free end of the eccentric pin 20. Thus as the shaft 1.8 is turned, the cam disk or plate 21 will be turned likewise, thus lending support to the free end of the eccentric pin 20 at all times. The operating handle 23 is preferably formed integral with the shaft 18.

The pawl 10 is loosely pivoted on the eccentric pin 20 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that as thc` handle is drawn forward in the direction of the arrow 24, from its rearward position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the pawl 10 is driven rearwardly and being in engagement with one of the teeth 9 on the rack 8, forces the'movable jaw 11 as well as the housing l2 forward, towards the stationary jaw 3, the force of the cam being sufficient to crush any nut or any woody shell of a fruit kernel, no matter how hard the same may be.

The pawl 10 is moreover provided with a slight heel 25, at the forward end thereof, which is so proportioned and designed in combination with the inner surface and contour 26 of the housing 12, that when the handle 23 moved backward, thereby lifting the pawl 10, the heel 25 encounters the inner surface 26 of the housing 12, thereby deflecting said heel 25 downwardly and raising the pawl end 10 upwardly a correspondingamount, so as to move said pawl end 10 out of engagement with the rack 8. By this action ofthe heel 25 and surface 26, when the handle 23 is in its rearward position shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the movable jaw 11 is always free to be moved back along the slide or guideway 2, when said handle is moved back, so as to receive another nut between the jaws thereof. Then another nut has been inserted, the housing 12 is simply drawn forward with the aid of the handle 23, and the handle 23 swung forward again in the direct-ion of the arrow 2st, thereby causing said pawl 10 to drop onto and into engagement with the nearest tooth 9 of the rack 8, thereby forcing said movable jaw 11 forward, upon the continued forward movement 23 in the direction of the arrow 24.

In order to retain the cam shaft 1S within the bearing opening 17 I provide suitable securing device 27, removably secured within a projection 28 of the housing 12, which device may be any suitable screw or pin,

although it is preferably in the form of a Cotter pin shown in Figs, l and 3, thereby permitting` ready removal of the cam shaft 18, handle as well as the pawl l() and the cam disk 2l.

Thus by my novel construction in nut crackers l have devised a new and useful construction in the same, whereby an eccentric operated pawl is utilized in driving` the movable jaw against the stationary one, and whereby the free end of the crank or eccentric pin is supported at all times within a movable cam disk, in such a manner as to prevent the bending or shearing of said eccentric pin under the greatest strain. By my novel construction moreover, t-he driving pawl4 is automatically brought outof engagement with the driving rack, by the merc reversal of the operating handle.

By my novel construction moreover I am enabled to produce a nut cracker of the character described, which is inexpensive to produce and in which each of the parts is of the simplest and yet the most ethcient construction and such parts are readily removable and replaceable at all times.

Having thus described my invention, what l cla-im as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In a device of the character described, a guideway, a stationary j aw at a right angle to said guideway and integral therewith, a housing slidable on said guideway, a moveable jaw carried by said housing a bearing` opening through one side of the movable jaw housing, a corresponding bearing recess in the inner face of the other side of said movable jaw housing, a cam shaft rotatably mounted within said bearing opening, a corresponding cam disk rotatably mounted within said bearing recess, an eccentric pin fixedly carried by said cam shaft and extending into said cam disk, and a driving pawl pivotally mounted on said eccentric pin.

2. In a device of the character described, a movable housing, a jaw carried by the front end thereof, a bearing opening through one side wall of said housing, a corresponding bearing recess in the other side wall thereof and within said housing, a cam shaft rotatably mounted within said bearing opening, a corresponding cam disk rotatably mounted within said bearing recess, an eccentric pin carried rigidly by said cam shaft and rotatably supported within a corresponding bearing opening in said cam disk, an operating handle carried rigidly by said cam shaft, and a pawl pivotally mounted on said eccentric pin.

ALEX VOLDERT. 

